BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: Renowned British medical journal ‘The Lancet’ is facing more backlash, this time from the Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), over its editorial on Kashmir.

ASI, Asia Pacific’s largest surgical association, has strongly condemned the Editorial Board of ‘The Lancet’ and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the editorial from the online version of the Journal and an unconditional apology from the editorial board to be printed prominently in the next issue of the journal.

 “The contents of the editorial are factually incorrect, politically motivated, prejudiced, unsubstantiated and downright racist,” said a press statement issued by the ASI.

“We question the stand that the Journal has taken on this most sensitive issue, where neither the author nor the Editorial Board of Lancet has an insight regarding the background and circumstances that led the Narendra Modi Government of India to take the bold decision to revoke Article 370,” it said.

Prof. (Dr.) Arvind Kumar, president of the ASI, pointed out, “Kashmir is an integral part of India and The Lancet has no business to comment on a political issue and a political decision that concerns an internal matter concerning the Republic of India.”

He said, “The Editorial is totally out of context and has been written in bad taste, which has hurt the feelings of billions of Indians living the world over.”